Curriculum

The Department of Family and Community Medicine has been at the forefront of innovation in medical education for years. Thanks to an active curriculum committee that meets monthly and reviews rotations, each year has seen reshaping and revision of the residency curriculum to take advantage of new opportunities, correct deficits, and meet the ever changing needs of residents. Past innovations have included a close mentoring relationship with individual faculty, longitudinal experiences in many disciplines, competency-based curriculum, and the chance for an increased emphasis on OB, procedural skills, sports medicine, and geriatrics.

Resident training in our department is directed by the Family Medicine faculty. Rotations provide practice and education that is relevant to primary care, even if acquired in other specialty areas. Specific rotations have been carefully selected to meet the educational goals and objectives laid out by our department. Residents' evaluation of learning experiences are carefully monitored and close contact is maintained between faculty representatives of our department and the other specialty departments in which the residents work.

The first year schedule is made up of a brief hospital orientation followed by an orientation to the Family Medicine Department paired with two weeks of clinical rotation. The remainder is comprised of 11 additional 4 week block rotations. The last or 13 rotational block is made up of 2 weeks of clinical rotation followed by two weeks of Family Medicine orientation to second year.

Residents begin their training with an initial orientation period to acquaint them with their new surroundings and colleagues. Included is a team building day. This is designed to lay the foundation for the study and practice of family medicine, as well as to give the resident a sense of his or her home territory before beginning rotations in other clinical departments. In the first year, eight four-week blocks are spent at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the tertiary care hospital affiliated with the School of Medicine. Two blocks are spent at Forsyth Memorial Hospital, an 800-bed community hospital located a few miles away. Three blocks are spent in the Family Medicine Center. We operate under a shift/night float system.

The final 2 weeks of intern year consist of a 2 week orientation to prepare for promotion and a more outpatient focused curriculum. This orientation involves both clinical, leadership and social activities that focus on acquisition of knowledge and development of procedural skills consistent with new upcoming responsibilities that the residents assume in year two.

In the second year two blocks are spent in the Family Medicine department acquiring urgent care skills and efficiencies. Community medicine and practice management are included in these outpatient rotations. One month is spent as the supervising resident on the Family Medicine in-patient service. A month is spent focusing on Geriatrics with time in our own clinics along with the outpatient Veterans Hospital. The surgery rotation is designed to provide residents with hand selected experiences with the Salisbury VA and our Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center surgical attendings while Ambulatory Pediatrics occurs in the community. The Obstetrics/Gynecology rotation is primarily focused in the Family Medicine Center and our associated underserved clinic and two residents alternate OB call during this rotation. Orthopaedics is centered on outpatient skills and is coordinated by our own Sports Medicine Faculty.

Second year residents do (2) two week blocks of night shifts for InPatient Service. One block of elective time is available to tailor your experiences and pursue unique learning opportunities. The remaining block of critical care (CCU/MICU) involves one week of nights, as you are part of a cutting edge team caring for acutely ill patients.

Much of the third year is spent with community physicians. Three blocks are elective and can be chosen from a wide array of rotations available through the School of Medicine and local community physicians, as well as distant and international sites. Specialty surgery rotations (Otolaryngology/Opthalmology, Radiology/Urology, General Surgery, Dermatology, Procedures) emphasize ambulatory care and involve learning in a variety of medical centers and community locations.

A Gastroenterology rotation is balanced between exposure to common GI disease and acquiring GI procedural skills. Family Medicine responsibilities during this year include two blocks of outpatient urgent care paired with practice management and a quality improvement project. Each third year resident completes one and one half blocks of supervisory inpatient work on our Family Medicine Service.

Full licensure is expected after the completion of second year. Any fully licensed resident in either second or third year may take advantage of the excellent moonlighting opportunities available in the area.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.